Central Park in New Delhi reopened after blasts

New Delhi, Oct 5 (IANS) The Central Park of Connaught Place which was closed after the Sep 13 bomb blasts was reopened Sunday, the police said. The civic agency officials, however, claimed it was opened Thursday.”The park has been reopened Sunday morning and only one gate has been opened. So, the entry and exit points are common right now,” president of the New Delhi Traders Association Atul Bhargava told IANS.

“The park was reopened today (Sunday) morning. There are policemen in plain clothes besides the security guards of New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC),” a senior police officer said.

“We are also keeping a check so that no one jumps inside the park from the boundary. The crowd was very thin this morning and in the afternoon, but in the evening it (the park) was quite packed,” the police officer added.

The park was closed down after the Sep 13 serial bomb blasts in the city that killed 25 and injured 100 people. At Central Park, a bomb kept in a dustbin had gone off.

“The park was reopened Thursday and the security has been beefed up. A new security agency is involved and we are working with the Delhi Police for the security of the place,” Director Public Relations, NDMC, Anand Tiwari told IANS.

The Central Park is one of New Delhi’s landmarks. Thrown open to the public in 2006 after a gap of four years - when the Delhi Metro Railway Corporation (DMRC) dug it up to build a metro station - it usually attracts big crowds, especially youngsters.

After it was reopened in 2006, the amphitheatre at the Central Park has been the nerve centre of cultural activities in the sprawling commercial district.